Niall Horan
Niall James Horan (born 13 September 1993 in Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland) was born to mother Maura Gallagher and father Bobby Horan. He has an older brother Greg. Their parents divorced when he was five. He and his brother lived between each of their homes for a few years before eventually deciding to live with their father in Mullingar. His mother remarried and lives in Edgeworthstown, County Longford with Chris, her husband of seven years. He was a pupil at Coláiste Mhuire, a boys' Christian Brothers school. Horan was in the school choir, performing seasonally around Christmas. Prior to participating in The X Factor, he performed around his homeland, including as a support act for Lloyd Danielsin Dublin. Horan has been playing guitar since childhood. In an interview he referred to his guitar as "the best present I ever received for Christmas."Horan revealed his parents took note of his singing during a car trip, "my aunt said she thought the radio was on. Exactly the same thing happened to Michael Bublé with his dad. He's my absolute hero so I like the fact we have a similar story." He also stated that in his hometown, he was often referred to as the "Irish Justin Bieber." He didn't mind the comparison.In 2010, Horan auditioned as a solo candidate for the seventh series of''The X Factor'', performing "So Sick", receiving mixed comments from the judges present at his audition, with Louis Walsh in his favor. Two other judges voiced doubts about his abilities but with three votes out of four, he was sent to boot camp where he sang "Champagne Supernova". He failed to qualify for the "Boys" category and so was put in One Direction. On forming One Direction, Horan said: "we were given five minutes to go away and decide if we wanted to do it, but we knew we were, it was just a formality. We were jumping up and down and we were all a bit giddy." On auditioning for The X Factor, he said "I'm 16 and I want to be a big name like Beyoncé and Justin Bieber," he said. "I've been compared to him a few times and it's not a bad comparison. I want to sell out arenas, make an album and work with some of the best artists in the world." Horan said "I was always the kid that picked up the nearest instrument and just loved music." He has also stated that he is a "big swing" fan, noting older and current artists Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Michael Bublé among his influences. Horan also cites rock music, he is a fan of The Eagles, Bon Jovi and The Script. Additionally he cites recording artist Ed Sheeran as an influence. When Sheeran and One Direction collaborated on the song "Moments" for their debut album, he said it as an honor to work with him. In 2012, Horan revealed that he has had a fear of birds – known as ornithophobia — since he was attacked by a pigeon while on the toilet as a child. In interview with OK! Magazine Horan stated, "I've not actually been on too many dates. I just like sitting at home, chilling and watching a movie."